SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CALIFORNIA — Jameson Creek Road closed for approximately four hours after two separate problems hit the same stretch of road: large boulders blocking the roadway and a big rig driver who ignored posted signs prohibiting vehicles over 45 feet.
CHP – Santa Cruz
CHP Santa Cruz reminded drivers that black and white regulatory signs are not suggestions. The road clearly posted that no vehicles over 45 feet are permitted. The big rig driver ignored the restriction. CalFire CZU responded to remove the boulders from the roadway.
CHP – Santa Cruz
CHP used the incident to remind commercial drivers not to rely solely on GPS or phone navigation apps when planning routes. “Before traveling, do your research; do not place complete trust in your GPS device or phone application,” CHP said. “Please pay attention and do not ignore black and white regulatory signs.”
CHP – Santa Cruz
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LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was confronted on the floor of the Mid-America Trucking Show by a DACA recipient truck driver who is set to lose his commercial driver’s license under the Trump administration’s non-domiciled CDL rule. In the moment, Duffy told the driver he “shouldn’t” lose his CDL. DOT has since clarified that he will.
Duffy had just finished a brief speech at the show when the driver approached him directly, surrounded by cameras and media. The full exchange, as transcribed by Overdrive, went as follows:
Driver: “I’m actually a non-domiciled. I’m on the DACA. I’ve been here since 2001. I’m in jeopardy to lose my CDL.”
Duffy: “The problem is not that you’re non-domiciled CDL. We have rules in place in how the license should be issued. This is a space where you came into the country, you’re DACA, you’ve been here a while. If you came into the country and you’ve been here a year and a half, and a great way to make a living is to say, ‘I’m going to get a Commercial Driver’s License,’ and you paid and didn’t go through a school because it was a CDL mill, and you have a third party tester that didn’t actually test you for skills and you get a license, and I have people dying, I’m going to change the rules.”
Driver: “I totally agree.”
Duffy: “It’s not every non-domiciled CDL, what I’m telling you is a lot of the problems have been in non-domiciled CDLs.”
Driver: “And I’ve seen it for the last four or five years. I totally agree with all that.”
Duffy: “The people that do things right and follow the rules, you’re not going to see problems. This is the subset where we’re seeing a lot of the issues in the country. So I’m going to clean it out and make it work.”
Driver: “Will it still affect us though? Because I’m in jeopardy of losing my CDL.”
Duffy: “Well, it shouldn’t.”
What DOT Said Afterward
Despite Duffy’s comment on the show floor, DOT clarified its position to Overdrive after the exchange. The rule does apply to DACA recipients. Duffy’s “it shouldn’t” comment appears to have been a misstatement in the noisy, crowded environment of the show floor.
In a follow-up statement, Duffy said: “The Department of Transportation’s new rule restores integrity and consistency to how non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses are issued across the country. Moving forward, eligibility is limited to individuals in clearly defined visa categories where work authorization and identity can be reliably verified through federal systems. This ensures that every driver operating a commercial vehicle on American roads meets a uniform standard of lawful presence, accountability, and safety. FMCSA will continue working with states and federal partners to enforce these standards and keep our roadways safe.”
The Broader Legal Fight
The confrontation reflects a larger legal dispute currently before the courts. Another DACA recipient, Jorge Rivera Lujan, has filed a lawsuit against FMCSA asking for a pause of the non-domiciled CDL ban. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is expected to issue its ruling any day.
DACA recipients present a specific challenge to FMCSA’s rationale for the ban. The agency has argued that most immigrants lack verifiable driving records and that only certain visa holders go through the State Department’s consular vetting process. DACA recipients, however, have often lived in the U.S. for many years and do have driving records on file with state DMVs. Despite that, FMCSA’s audit of states’ non-domiciled CDL issuance found systemic non-compliance and the agency appears to have lost confidence in states’ ability to process work authorization documents — including those presented by DACA holders.
SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA — A Tennessee truck driver who shut down eastbound Interstate 4 near Seminole Towne Center for 90 minutes Friday afternoon now faces multiple felony charges after authorities determined he falsely told his own company there were bombs inside his truck.
Kelvin Harp, 49, of Tennessee, faces the following charges: making a false bomb report, making terroristic threats, threatening to discharge a destructive device, and falsely reporting a bomb or weapon of mass destruction. Court records show his total bond is set at $105,000. His arraignment is scheduled for May 5.
What Happened
Harp contacted his company and claimed there were bombs in his truck. The company alerted authorities. Florida Highway Patrol pulled the white semi over near mile marker 101 in Lake Mary, near Seminole Towne Center, during Friday afternoon rush hour. Acting out of an abundance of caution, FHP called in the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad to clear the vehicle. Officers also walked a K-9 to the back of the trailer while traffic backed up for several miles behind the stopped vehicle.
The bomb squad cleared the truck. Investigators found no explosives inside. Eastbound I-4 reopened after approximately 90 minutes.
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Harp was booked into the Seminole County Jail Friday evening. At his first court appearance Saturday, the judge ordered GPS monitoring if Harp is released.
Anastasia Layne
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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SALEM, OREGON — Oregon has permanently stopped issuing temporary commercial driver’s licenses and learner’s permits to people who are lawfully present in the United States but are not permanent residents, state transportation leaders announced in March. The decision aims to protect approximately $23 million in annual federal highway funding that the Trump administration threatened to pull if states did not comply with new CDL rules.
About 900 people in Oregon currently hold these temporary licenses and learner’s permits. The Oregon DMV will not renew them when they expire, nor will it issue new or replacement licenses. Existing licenses remain valid until their expiration date, which is tied to the holder’s legal authorization to remain in the country.
Among those affected are DACA recipients, refugees, asylum seekers, and others who meet legal requirements to live in the United States.
Why Oregon Changed Course
The Trump administration has pushed states nationwide to tighten CDL standards, pointing to several fatal crashes involving drivers without legal status as justification. In Oregon, a fatal crash in Deschutes County involving a commercial truck driver from India drew federal attention. That driver, Rajinder Kumar, faces manslaughter charges with a trial scheduled for January 2027. Deadly crashes involving drivers from India also occurred in Florida and California. Washington state acknowledged in 2025 that it had inadvertently issued hundreds of CDLs to unqualified noncitizens over several years.
What Oregon’s Own Data Shows
Despite the policy change, Oregon does not have evidence that temporary license holders are unsafe drivers. ODOT spokesperson David House noted that a state review of fatal commercial vehicle crashes from 2020 to 2025 found none involved non-permanent residents with temporary licenses. He also pointed out that the federal government has not provided comparative crash-rate analysis to support its position. “The federal government has cited individual tragedies but has offered no comparative crash-rate analysis,” House said.
What the Industry Says
Jana Jarvis, president and CEO of the Oregon Trucking Associations, said she does not expect the changes to have a major short-term impact on the state’s trucking industry, which she described as currently oversupplied with drivers. The broader trucking industry is already in what leaders call a recession, with some companies parking trucks and laying off drivers due to low freight volumes.
Jarvis acknowledged that some temporary license holders were good drivers but supported the move on safety grounds. “If drivers can’t communicate in English, it’s difficult for them to understand some of the signage that will appear along the freeways or communicate with way station masters,” Jarvis said. “This is an effort to improve safety in our industry.”
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ACWORTH, GEORGIA — Two men died Friday morning after a Papa John’s tractor-trailer failed to maintain its lane on northbound Interstate 75, triggering a chain-reaction crash involving a second semi-truck and a pickup truck before the Papa John’s truck overturned and slammed through a sound wall.
The Cobb County Police Department STEP Unit responded at approximately 8:34 a.m. on April 3, 2026, to the crash near Hickory Grove Road and Wade Green Road in Acworth. A red 2023 Freightliner Cascadia hauling a Papa John’s trailer, driven by Zory Beavers, 28, of Conyers, drifted out of its lane and struck another Freightliner traveling in the adjacent lane. The impact caused Beavers’ truck to yaw and roll onto its left side before slamming into a sound attenuation wall on the right shoulder. During the sequence, a 2018 Ram 3500 pulling a flatbed trailer struck the rear of Beavers’ trailer and was pushed across multiple lanes of traffic.
Beavers and his passenger, Royan Osborne, 42, of Norcross, were both pronounced dead at the scene by the Cobb County Medical Examiner. The two other drivers involved — ages 62 and 48 — were not injured.
Investigators identified the preliminary cause as failure to maintain lane. However, what caused the driver to drift has not been determined. Investigators have not ruled out weather conditions or mechanical failure as contributing factors. The investigation remains ongoing.
Papa John’s released a statement following the crash. “We are actively cooperating with local authorities as they work to determine the circumstances of the incident and assess any impact. Our thoughts are with all those who may be affected, and we will continue to support the investigation as it moves forward,” the company said.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Cobb County Police Department at 770-499-3987.
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LITTLETON, COLORADO — The driver of a CDS Transport semi-truck that crashed into a QuikTrip gas station on West Belleview Avenue in March, crushing a passenger vehicle beyond recognition against a brick wall and causing a partial building collapse, now faces a careless driving charge after investigators determined the truck had no mechanical issues — contradicting the driver’s claim that the brakes failed.
The crash occurred at 1:33 p.m. on March 10, 2026, at 2338 W. Belleview Avenue. South Metro Fire Rescue, West Metro Fire Rescue, and Littleton Police responded to find a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle had struck the building, causing a partial wall collapse. The semi’s cab had pushed the passenger vehicle sideways, compressing it entirely against the brick wall. The vehicle’s roof, front end, and body were crushed beyond recognition. Littleton Police officers and bystanders extricated the single occupant and moved them to safety before firefighters arrived. The occupant went to a hospital by emergency transport. Five employees and approximately 25 customers evacuated safely. No injuries were reported among those inside.
Photo credit: South Metro Fire Rescue
Technical rescue teams from South Metro and West Metro Fire Rescue stabilized the building. Both vehicles were removed by approximately 4:45 p.m. The structure was turned over to property owners and closed indefinitely. Connolly’s Towing assisted at the scene.
Littleton Police identified the driver as Daniel Torrez, 33. Police charged him with careless driving causing bodily injury. Torrez told investigators at the scene he believed the brakes had failed. A subsequent investigation found no mechanical issues with the truck. Torrez declined medical treatment at the scene. A West Metro Fire spokesperson said the outcome could have been far worse depending on the direction the truck had been traveling.
Photo credit: South Metro Fire Rescue
A Driver With a Troubled History
Just days before the crash, Torrez received a summons for driving a commercial vehicle with a suspended license. His record also includes ties to a separate trucking accident in January 2017 involving American Demolition, a company run by the same family that operates CDS Transport.
The Company Behind the Truck
CDS Transport’s federal motor carrier safety registration was last updated in 2022, according to USDOT records. Colorado State Patrol inspection records show CDS Transport trucks have racked up numerous violations since 2023, including drivers without valid CDLs, missing or defective brake warning devices, and damaged or defective brakes.
In a statement, a CDS Transport representative said: “Safety is a core priority, and the company is committed to maintaining effective safety practices.”
Records also show that American Demolition had a truck inspected in December 2025 that was pulled out of service for a missing or inoperable breakaway braking system. That driver had no valid CDL and could not meet English language proficiency requirements.
Photo credit: South Metro Fire Rescue
A Victim Speaks Out
The March crash brought back painful memories for Noah Williams, who was paralyzed in the 2017 American Demolition crash. Williams saw images of the gas station crash online and immediately recognized the truck. “Just knew right away. Just looked at the truck,” he said.
In January 2017, a semi owned and operated by American Demolition with defective brakes slammed into the back of Williams’ truck. “The truck came barreling down on us, pushed the bed of the truck into the cab,” Williams recalled. He checked on his sister, who said she was OK. “She looked at me. I remember looking down, and I tried to move my legs and couldn’t do it.” Williams was paralyzed. Today he relies on a wheelchair and his service dog, Buddy. “It was so bad my back broke into fragments, and I’m missing 6 inches of my spinal cord in my back,” he said.
2017 Crash survivor Noah Williams. Courtesy: CBS
Williams sued American Demolition and uncovered years of safety issues. Colorado State Patrol inspection records showed 19 notices in the years before the crash — most related to brake problems. A post-crash inspection found the truck was overloaded and four of its ten brakes were defective.
2017 crash semi-truck
His attorney, Stephen Burg of Burg Simpson Law, said the deeper they dug, the more problems they found. “When we were digging into this case, we sort of discovered there were numerous companies all with similar ownership,” Burg said. The owner of American Demolition confirmed that CDS Transport is run by the same family.
Williams settled his lawsuit before trial. He had never spoken publicly about the experience until now. “I have always wanted to do what I could to make sure this didn’t happen to someone, but I was limited, and unfortunately it happened again,” Williams said.
Victim and attorney interviews courtesy of CBS Colorado.
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SEMINOLE COUNTY, FLORIDA — A Tennessee truck driver faces charges of threatening to discharge an explosive device after a tip that he had bombs in his truck triggered a K-9 sweep, a multi-agency response, and an hour-long shutdown of eastbound Interstate 4 near Lake Mary on Friday.
The incident started when someone contacted Florida Highway Patrol and claimed one of their truck drivers had threatened he had bombs in his truck. FHP pulled over the white semi near mile marker 101 in Lake Mary. Acting out of an abundance of caution, troopers called in the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. Officers walked a K-9 to the back of the trailer while traffic backed up for several miles behind the stopped vehicle. Deputies turned traffic around on the highway on-ramp. Aerial footage captured the standstill on the eastbound lanes as troopers and Seminole County deputies worked the scene. Additional video from local media showed someone being detained by a Florida State trooper on I-4, though the specific circumstances were not immediately clear.
Investigators later determined there were no explosives inside the truck.
FHP arrested the driver, identified as Kelvin Harp, 49, of Clarksville, Tennessee. Officers booked him into the Seminole County Jail Friday evening. Harp faces multiple charges including threatening to discharge an explosive device and making a written or electronic threat to kill. His total bond is set at $105,000. At his first court appearance Saturday, the judge ordered GPS monitoring if Harp is released. His arraignment is scheduled for May 5.
Eastbound I-4 lanes reopened around 5 p.m. after crews removed the truck from the scene.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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MONROE, LOUISIANA — The Louisiana House passed HB 380, a bill that would allow high school students to earn a commercial driver’s license. The bill now heads to the Louisiana Senate. If passed and signed by the governor, it takes effect July 1, 2026.
Supporters say the measure builds a workforce pipeline for the trucking industry by getting students involved earlier. Rep. C. Travis Johnson, who backs the bill, says early exposure could lead more young people to pursue trucking as a career. “What we do know is that high schools have the workforce, and those students,” Johnson said. “If they’re exposed to the trucking industry very early, then they are more likely to do it, and it gives them many more possibilities.”
Not everyone is fully on board. Bruce Busada, President of Diesel Driving Academy, said the program could work but only with careful implementation. “If it’s handled properly, I think it can be great, a good program for young people,” Busada said. “If it’s just to teach people how to drive a truck, I’d be cautious in high school when they’re not even 18.”
FedEx Freight driver apprentice Skyler Perry welcomed the idea of early experience but stressed that training must remain central. “Them getting the license is cool, getting that early experience,” Perry said. “On the other side of it, I feel like they still should go through some training.”
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MEDINA COUNTY, OHIO — Former Portage County Deputy Daniel LaJack received a 90-day jail sentence Thursday for his role in the unlawful detention of an Ethiopian refugee at an Ohio bar in 2024.
LaJack pleaded guilty in February to attempted abduction — a reduced charge. Medina County Court of Common Pleas sentenced him to 90 days in jail, 90 days of substance abuse monitoring, and two years of probation. The court ordered no contact with the victim or co-defendant. Any violation triggers an automatic 18-month jail term.
Background
The charges stem from an April 26, 2024 incident at Buzzard’s Roost Bar in Hinckley Township. LaJack and Cleveland Police Detective Donald Kopchak — both off-duty — confronted patron Yonas Bokredingil, 41, identified themselves as federal law enforcement, physically restrained him, and removed him from the bar. Bokredingil is an Ethiopian refugee who has lived in the U.S. for 14 years and holds a valid Texas commercial driver’s license.
Body camera footage from Brunswick Police showed one officer pinning Bokredingil to the ground. “This guy’s not from this country,” the Cleveland officer told responding officers. Bokredingil testified for the prosecution at Kopchak’s trial.
Kopchak was found guilty by a jury of two counts of abduction, one count of assault, and one count of ethnic intimidation. He faces sentencing on June 11. He remains on unpaid leave. LaJack resigned from the Lake County Narcotics Agency in December 2024.
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RENO, NEVADA — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against a California-based trucking company on April 3, 2026, accusing it of religious discrimination after it kept scheduling a Christian truck driver for Sunday shifts despite his repeated requests to attend church — and ultimately drove him to quit.
The lawsuit targets Blue Eagle Contracting, Inc., a Grass Valley, California company that hauls bulk mail for the U.S. Postal Service between Reno and Tonopah, Nevada. The EEOC alleges Blue Eagle violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars employers from failing to accommodate employees’ religious practices without undue hardship.
What Happened
Blue Eagle hired the driver in September 2022 and assigned him a weekday route. He told supervisors from the start that he had religious obligations on Sunday mornings due to his Christian faith. The arrangement worked — until a coworker unexpectedly resigned.
The driver volunteered to cover the Sunday shift on a temporary emergency basis. He made clear to supervisors multiple times that he needed Sunday mornings for church and was only filling in until a replacement came on board. Blue Eagle hired a replacement driver. Then it kept scheduling the original driver for Sundays anyway — and gave the replacement his old weekday route.
The driver complained. Blue Eagle kept scheduling him for Sundays. Faced with no path back to his weekday shift, he resigned in December 2022.
What the EEOC Says
“Employers are bound by federal law to explore a range of possible accommodations to ensure that employees retain their right to freely exercise their faith,” said Christopher Green, district director for the EEOC’s San Francisco District Office.
Senior EEOC Trial Attorney Mariko Ashley added: “To force employees to choose between exercising their religious beliefs and their livelihoods, absent undue burden on the employer, violates the law and the EEOC will hold employers accountable.”
The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada under case number 3:26-cv-00226 after attempts to reach a pre-litigation settlement through administrative conciliation failed.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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